


Touch

by SunSparrow



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Fluff and Angst, Implied Relationships, Jealousy, M/M, Oblivious, Pining, Possessive Behavior, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-03-18 19:18:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13688091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunSparrow/pseuds/SunSparrow
Summary: Junhui thinks there is no reason to be touch-starved as a Seventeen member.Or:Junhui pines after Wonwoo. Junhui is sad. Junhui goes out clubbing with the rest of Seventeen. Things happen.





	1. Touch-starved

Junhui thinks there is no reason to be touch-starved as a Seventeen member. He and the other boys are constantly in close quarters, whether they are in the dorm rooms, recording music videos, or performing onstage. They shove each other around or carry each other on their backs, for fun and fanservice alike. They cuddle up next to each other for warmth in the cold practice studio with hoodies providing extra pillow-potential, and they crawl into each other's beds while doing selcas. They are an affectionate group, and the camaraderie comes across clearly on camera.

Gestures of affection are common, so there are many opportunities to touch Wonwoo. Junhui rarely takes any of them, especially off-camera, when he can't even use the excuse of thrilling the fans. Sometimes he indulges himself, gives in and holds the quiet boy for a second longer than he should, to feel that warmth radiating out into his own body as though he were soaking in the sunlight.

But afterwards, he feels bereft and cold. His longing for _just_ a little bit more increases tenfold, and he can barely stand the feeling of wanting and needing until he wakes up the next day, exhausted from not enough sleep and too many grueling practices.

Once, after a particularly brutal dance rehearsal to prepare for promotions, Junhui fairly collapses on the floor near the long, mirrored wall. He is breathing heavily, sweating hard, and trying to regain feeling in his numb, tired limbs. In the morning he's going to feel like a truck has hit him, he knows it.

He flexes his fingers, shifting his arm in slow, stuttering movements so that he can pillow his head on it. He's mildly surprised but too tired to show it when his hand collides with someone else's fingers, warm and dry as opposed to his own clammy ones.

Junhui dimly registers how gross his hand probably feels to the other person as he turns his head to see who's lying beside him.

He meets another boy's gaze, dark and piercing, though its intensity is muted by what must be sheer exhaustion.

It's Wonwoo, breathing hard, watching Junhui pant equally as heavily.

Minutes pass.

Neither of them moves.

Finally, Junhui's eyes slide shut, his whole face feeling even hotter than when he first lay down.

Too soon, Wonwoo gets up and moves away.

Junhui's fingers feel cold.

 

* * *

 

Presently, Wonwoo rarely initiates touch with Junhui, so most, if not all, of their skinship is to be blamed on Junhui. More commonly, Wonwoo can be seen scuffling with or throwing his arm across the shoulders of Mingyu, who welcomes and returns the boy's gestures of affection with puppy-like gusto.

To his credit, Junhui does his best to accept Wonwoo's evident preference for the taller, handsome boy. He turns away to shrug and laugh at Seokmin's jokes or Seungkwan's antics, or bothers Minghao with overly affectionate touches (and gets yelled at in response). Sometimes he even messes around with Mingyu during fan meets to prove to himself there are no hard feelings, incessantly poking the other boy's cheek as he tries to autograph photos of the group.

If Mingyu turns to face Wonwoo on his other side, Junhui doesn't take it personally. He certainly doesn't take it to heart when Wonwoo tiredly leans his head on Mingyu's shoulder, effectively distracting him from Junhui's playfulness.

Not too much, anyway.

The lingering ache in his chest will dull over time, he is sure of it.

 

* * *

 

With every comeback, Wonwoo becomes more beautiful, and Junhui is starting to lose control from wanting so much. He's touching Wonwoo much more often, and he tries to keep his touches from lingering long enough to be meaningful. But he's afraid he's going to slip up sometime.

He watches Wonwoo and wonders what it would feel like to rest his hand on the small of the other boy's slender back. What it might feel like to trace his fingertips over his collarbone.

Once Junhui can't help but scoop Wonwoo up into his arms when demonstrating his strength to the fans. It's only for a couple of seconds, but really, when has Junhui done that to anyone else outside a performance?

It's just that Wonwoo's warmth is addictive, and now... Wonwoo is starting to touch him more often too. He grasps for Junhui's hand to get his attention and stands next to him for more live videos. It's torture, but Junhui can't bring himself to pull away.

Junhui's eyes linger far too long on the other boy's lanky figure as Wonwoo practices choreography. He doesn't want to admit it, but he feels vulnerable in those moments, like he's waiting for something he knows he can never have.

Wonwoo is beautiful, but Junhui can never tell him that. If he knew what Junhui is feeling, it would wreck everything they've worked so hard for.

Junhui finally tears his gaze away, and in the same motion inadvertently meets Mingyu's curious stare.

Mingyu's expression is one of slight confusion and a little surprise, but to Junhui's horror, it settles into a look of dawning understanding.

Junhui is caught, and by the person he expected least to notice his apparent tendency to obsessively watch Wonwoo.

Feeling his stomach drop, Junhui turns and runs to tackle Minghao in the middle of a probably complex demonstration. The other boy yells obscenities at him in Mandarin, and Junhui draws a grin across his face to hide his shame.

 

* * *

 

They are going out and maybe this is a bad idea.

Wonwoo looks devastatingly _good_ in his dark blue button-down and grey-washed jeans, and Junhui is definitely staring. The other boy's outfit accentuates the smooth, masculine lines of his slender form, clinging perfectly in all the right places, and the sight of him makes Junhui's mouth go dry.

Before Junhui can turn or even think to fix his expression, Mingyu nudges Wonwoo unsubtly, causing the boy to turn in Junhui's direction. Wonwoo smiles slightly at Junhui, giving him the once-over.

A wave of self-consciousness washes over Junhui, leaving his cheeks burning. He hopes the foundation covers it up. His heart is stuttering and speeding up, and Junhui looks away, fixing his bleached bangs in the mirror to hide his embarrassment.

Why is he so nervous around Wonwoo? He doesn't need his approval. Junhui himself is wearing a red t-shirt and some white skinny jeans that cling to his lean musculature. Junhui _knows_ he looks good, but some traitorous part of his brain keeps sending out signals of uncertainty and low-key panic.

Junhui's ability to ignore discomfort and exude his usual confidence without a care will be sorely tested tonight, he knows it.

 

* * *

 

It had been a great idea to go out. Junhui doesn't know why he was so worried in the first place.

Junhui is a few shots in with Minghao and feeling pleasantly warm and little bit floaty. 

The club is dim, colorful strobe lights spilling over the dance floor and bar area. The music mostly features a deep bass drum pumping, like a monstrous pulse thrumming through Junhui's body. The boys have split up into a few groups, exchanging members occasionally when they are curious about what the others are doing.

Come to think of it, Junhui has barely seen Wonwoo tonight and that is perfectly okay. He's probably drinking with Mingyu somewhere. Maybe they are dancing together, their bodies pressed close with no space in between... Jealousy tugs sharply at Junhui's chest, so he impulsively calls for another round of soju shots, passing them to the others.

Afterward, Minghao wanders off to find Soonyoung, yelling in Junhui's ear that he has a "kickass idea" for the next choreo and Soonyoung had "better listen this time." Junhui doesn't really envy Soonyoung's position right now, seeing Minghao's eyes preemptively blazing with righteous indignation.

Meanwhile, Seokmin and Seungcheol are attempting to persuade Chan to balance another shot glass on his forehead while Seungkwan tries to drink it. Hansol and Jisoo are giggling about things in English, seeming to be in their own little world, so Junhui decides to see if any of the other members are on the dance floor.

Leaving behind his empty shot glass as well as a good majority of his innate sense of grace, he clumsily wades through the heavy press of warm bodies, finally reaching the slightly sticky dance floor. He sees Soonyoung and Mingyu in an impromptu dance-off at the center, surrounded by cheering clubgoers. The taller, frequently clumsy boy is surprisingly keeping his own next to the team choreographer, sweat beading on both their foreheads.

Further off, Jeonghan and Jihoon are surrounded by several pretty girls, the two vocal team members smiling and nodding at the compliments coming their way. Junhui perceives the vaguely stressed and uncomfortable look on Jihoon's face behind his subdued smile, but decides to leave them alone for the time being; he has no doubt Seungcheol will save them later if he sees them. Jeonghan is probably enjoying Jihoon's obvious discomfort, to be honest, and Jihoon is too proud to run away.

Moving towards Soonyoung and Mingyu, Junhui joins their dance competition, laughing as he pulls off a few locking moves, spinning around playfully. Soon, the music transitions into something slower and more sensual, and the three of them accordingly start a competition of ridiculous body rolls, adopting exaggeratedly smoldering stares while trying to suppress their giggles.

The warmth of the alcohol rolls through Junhui in relaxing waves, and before he knows it he finds himself separated from the other two. He stands on his tiptoes, trying to find Soonyoung's distinctively dyed head of bright red hair, but he's starting to get tunnel vision and it's taking him longer than it should.

Suddenly Junhui feels a larger presence behind him, a hand settling on his hip before drawing him back against a wide chest. His reactions are dulled by the alcohol, and Junhui barely twitches as an unfamiliar older man's voice murmurs something in his ear. He can't quite hear the words, but what does hear is the dark intent, creeping up his spine like tiny needles.

Shaking his head, Junhui tries to pull away from the strange man, shrugging off his touch roughly, but the man, undeterred, draws him back again with a strong grip around his waist and arms. Junhui unconsciously reverts to Mandarin — _"Let go, asshole!"_  — though his voice is mostly drowned out by the music. He could have easily pulled out of the stranger's grip if he was sober, maybe even landed a few punches and kicks, but he is so drunk, and he instead stumbles back into the man's arms after his pitiful escape attempt. Distantly, Junhui feels himself being pulled away from the dance floor, and it's alarming, and he doesn't want this, and _where are all of his friends?_

His senses are swimming and he almost doesn't realize when the stranger suddenly lets go, a thick body thudding to the ground beside Junhui with a grunt of pain. He's suddenly pressed against another more familiar body, whipcord-lean and completely tense.

"Stay the fuck away from him," Wonwoo spits out, and when did the other guy get a bloody nose? Wonwoo's fist is still clenched, and Junhui is still trying to fit all the pieces together even as Wonwoo's deep voice carries over the crowd to a nearby bouncer.

Wonwoo is holding Junhui, and it's so strange that the other boy is trembling — but no, it's Junhui who's actually shaking and Wonwoo is trying to get him to calm down from his panicked state. "You okay, Jun?" he asks, soft and low, and Junhui buries his face in the other boy's shoulder in lieu of an answer.

Wonwoo's lips brush his ear as delicately as butterfly wings as he says, "Don't worry, he's out of here. He can't get to you now. Want to go home?" Junhui feels so safe right now, like he's already home — and that's a really pathetic sappy thought so it must be the alcohol talking. "I can call the others and let them know we're going back."

Junhui nods into Wonwoo's shoulder, who immediately turns and motions for Junhui to hop onto his back so he can carry him. Junhui obliges, still a bit clumsy but sobering up steadily. He clings to Wonwoo's thin form, and Wonwoo securely transports him over to the exit without incident. The cool, crisp night air clears Junhui's mind a little more, though the heat from Wonwoo's back is keeping him warm.

Junhui slides off a little reluctantly, and he and Wonwoo sit on the stairs outside the club near the doors while Wonwoo calls for a cab to take them back to the dorms. Junhui rests his head on the other boy's shoulder, and Wonwoo lets him.

On the ride home, Wonwoo doesn't let go of Junhui's hand.

 

* * *

 

After taking off their shoes, Wonwoo helps Junhui stumble to bed, and as soon as Junhui sits down, a wave of exhaustion crashes over him. He's still a little drunk; he should have eaten more earlier. Wonwoo helps him sip some water from a bottle before urging him to lie down on the pillow. After covering Junhui with a blanket, Wonwoo moves to turn off the light and go to bed too, but stops abruptly, probably because Junhui's fingers are holding onto his shirt hem.

With half of his face pressed into the pillow, Junhui mumbles, "Wonu."

"Hm?" Wonwoo sits down on the edge of the bed.

Junhui, tired and thankful, tugs at Wonwoo's sleeve, who obligingly comes closer.

Already half asleep, Junhui clumsily plants a kiss near the corner of Wonwoo's mouth before he can think better of it, then he lies back down and immediately passes out.

 

* * *

 

The morning comes and it's absolutely horrible. Junhui can barely remember last night except that Wonwoo definitely saved him from some creep, and now he has a hangover around the size of China.

He messily brushes his teeth and washes his face of residual makeup, then he stumbles into the kitchen, collapses into a chair, and buries his face in his arms on the table. His voice is muffled but he thinks at least the word "coffee" is somewhat distinguishable.

Someone sets a mug of coffee by him and a plate of some breakfast food Mingyu must've made for the anticipated hangovers. It smells great but Junhui is having issues summoning his appetite right now. He pulls the coffee over by the handle and takes a weak slurping sip, noting that there's a pair of painkillers by it. He swallows them down and returns to his coffee, his eyes half-lidded.

"Feeling okay, Jun?"

He's hungover, he really shouldn't feel like this, but his heart is stumbling over itself a little at Wonwoo's voice. Junhui looks up over his mug to meet the other boy's eyes, giving him a look that says, _What do you think?_

Given Wonwoo's amused expression, the severity of his hangover must not have been conveyed appropriately. "It's around 1pm right now," Wonwoo says.

Junhui grunts and closes his eyes again, resting his forehead on the cool surface of the table.

"I'm never drinking again," Junhui announces gravely, voice hoarse.

Wonwoo scoffs, "Sure. Maybe next time stick to the beer instead of soju. I saw all of you doing a ridiculous number of shots."

Junhui grunts in response, neither affirming nor denying his words.

"Eat and go back to bed. You're lucky we're off today."

Junhui grunts again, keeping his eyes shut.

"If you're wondering where everyone else is, they're out to see a movie."

Junhui wasn't wondering, but now that he knows, he notices how much quieter it is in the dorms this afternoon. "Why didn't you go," Junhui mumbles automatically.

"You."

Junhui's heart stutters to a halt, and he briefly forgets his headache. He looks up. "What do you mean?"

"Well, considering what happened last night..." Wonwoo trails off, his eyes scanning Jun's face carefully. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Junhui groans and buries his face in his hands as memories come flooding back to him now that he's focused on them. He refuses to think about what might have happened if Wonwoo hadn't been there.

"Never drinking again. I could've beat that asshole's..." Junhui struggles for another word for two seconds but then gives up. "Ass... sober," he finally mutters.

Silence.

"But... thanks," Junhui says. "For helping me."

"Anytime," Wonwoo says, and it sounds like he means it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eventually this story will warrant more than a T rating, I hope.
> 
> Edit: So it's definitely going up from a T rating in the next chapter.
> 
> Thank you for all of the encouraging kudos and the lovely comments!


	2. Desirous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junhui wishes. Junhui dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some sexual content ahead. Be warned!

Over the next few days, Junhui watches Wonwoo out of the corner of his eye, wondering if anything has changed between them.

He regrets that he was so drunk when Wonwoo was holding him that night, because otherwise, maybe he could remember it more clearly. The strongest impression he gets when sifting for the memory is the comforting, wholly enveloping feeling of safety. Next, he remembers the soothing warmth of Wonwoo's back as he was being carried.

Some of the details he knew before are getting hard to pick out now, like the whip-like harshness of Wonwoo's voice softening into kindness after he told off the stranger and comforted Junhui.

Junhui is struck by the briefest image of brushing his lips against Wonwoo's face in a feather-light kiss. But more likely it was only a dream.

 

* * *

 

Junhui watches Wonwoo, and nothing has changed. Wonwoo acts very much the same as before. He makes the really awful jokes that Junhui is secretly fond of, he reads books that Junhui probably never will, and he willingly joins the chaos that inevitably erupts when the thirteen of them are in the same room.

But sometimes Junhui looks up and sees Wonwoo's gaze lingering on him while they're out with the others. Junhui wishes it meant something more than simply making sure that Junhui is okay, that he's around the other members who can keep him safe.

 _"Anytime,"_ Wonwoo had said. There's nothing special or romantic about it, Junhui reasons silently. He knows Wonwoo enough to realize that he would do the same for any of them, because he's Wonwoo: kind, warm, and so giving when it comes to Seventeen.

Junhui needs to crush this flickering hope building in his chest with every glance Wonwoo throws him, with every moment Wonwoo clings to his arm onstage. Because heartache is fine when it's in small, tolerable doses. Full-on heartbreak will be too much to handle.

Everything has to stay the same.

So Junhui remains as objective as possible when it comes to Wonwoo. Wonwoo still messes around with him onstage, but he also does that with Mingyu and Soonyoung. There's no consistency in whom he decides to sit next to during meals, games, or interviews.

So Junhui concludes they're still friends, and he should be satisfied with that. They are two of thirteen in a group of idols trying to make it to the top. He should be thankful that they're close at all.

But... sometimes he wishes Wonwoo would spend more time trying to be by his side. Sometimes he wishes he could pull the other boy into his lap without fear of being judged or rejected.

Sometimes Junhui aches deeply in his bones, and wishes he weren't like this. He wishes he loved a girl, someone a thousand times more likely to love him back.

Junhui aches, but keeps silent.

 

* * *

 

Junhui dreams.

 

Surrounded by the shadowy dimness of the bar area, the club's dance floor is aglow with gentle, aqueous-blue lights. It's like they are underwater. Everyone is awash in pale blue and white ripples cast by the tiny, blinking bulbs lining the floor and ceiling.

In his dream, Junhui thinks that coming back here sober might drive out the bad memories of last time while they are still fresh, replacing them with something better. He doesn't actually know if that's how it works, but he's going to find out.

So Junhui begins dancing, swaying his hips and trailing his hands down his body to the music's heady beat, his eyes falling shut so he can just _feel_. He keeps his dance moves sinuous and graceful, feline and sensual.

When he opens his eyes again, Wonwoo is there, looking at him strangely.

Junhui doesn't stop, some surge of confidence compelling him to wink teasingly at the other boy.

Wonwoo's mouth turns downward in a slight frown. Without taking his eyes off Junhui, Wonwoo walks forward, placing his hands on Junhui's hips and pulling him flush against himself. Junhui gasps at the sudden heat, but instantly melts into the other boy's arms with a soft sigh.

In time, they're grinding and clinging so close to one another that it must look more like sex in the middle of the club than actual dancing. They're so close, Junhui can barely focus on Wonwoo's features, but he can perceive a glimmering bead of sweat slowly rolling down Wonwoo's cheek to the sharp line of his jaw. Unthinkingly, Junhui leans in and captures it with his tongue before it falls, then trails his lips gently down the other boy's neck, immediately addicted to the taste.

Wonwoo murmurs his name against his throat, and Junhui feels fingers tracing down the center of his abdomen, down to the waist of his jeans. Deft fingers unfasten, unzip, and finally wrap around his aching cock, hard all this time. Junhui lets out a broken, pleading moan, but Wonwoo shushes him, stroking his cock at a steady, even pace. Junhui can only cling desperately to the other boy, whining and whimpering softly until Wonwoo whispers hoarsely, _"You're being so good for me, Junnie. So good. Come for me."_

Junhui can only obey. The backs of his eyelids light up with blue waves, white stars, ripples of pleasure transforming into fireworks and he can hear Wonwoo's quiet whisper: _"Come to me for help, anytime."_

 

Junhui wakes and abruptly shoots up in bed, gasping for breath.

His boxers and sheets are soaked through.

"Fuck," he says.

 

* * *

 

Junhui can barely meet Wonwoo's eyes the following day.

He's confused and, to be completely honest, freaking out a little. He hasn't had a wet dream in literal years, much less one that vivid, and now he's had one about another member? He's completely doomed. What if he has one again and is _louder_ about it? What if he wakes the others?

He has to give himself some credit though for not having a full-blown panic attack about it. Instead, he had enough sense to press the "mute" button on his brain and then throw his laundry in the wash before anyone else got up.

Now, Junhui feels dirty and ashamed for thinking of Wonwoo that way. They live together. They work together. Wonwoo cannot find out.

Unfortunately for Junhui, snippets of the dream plague him whenever Wonwoo so much as speaks, and when Wonwoo calls Jun's name, he's torn between jumping the other boy's bones and running out of the room.

Before, if Junhui had to relieve his frustration, he would just take a shower and imagine a nebulous _someone_ sucking him off, fingering him, or fucking him. He would never let the fantasy stray completely to Wonwoo.

Maybe the person would have dark, piercing eyes, burning into his as they pushed him up against the bathroom wall. Maybe they would have long, slender fingers that gripped and stroked his hard, weeping cock with just the right amount of pressure.

But it has never actually been _Wonwoo,_ Junhui insists to himself. Plenty of people have dark brown eyes and long fingers.

If his fantasy partners had Wonwoo's voice, _then_ it would be weirder and much more difficult to explain.

Junhui's thoughts wander back to his dream, when Wonwoo was whispering hotly into his ear in his low, husky voice, praising him for being good, telling him to _come_ —

Junhui violently shakes his head, trying to dislodge those dangerous thoughts before he pops an unwanted and inappropriate erection. He winces. He hadn't even thought he was into that domination sort of thing before, but —

"What's up, Jun-hyung?" Hansol startles him back into reality. "You look stressed."

Oh god, he can't have these kinds of thoughts with one of the dongsaengs _sitting right beside him._

"I... Uh." He's unable to reply for a few seconds, mentally flailing for an answer that doesn't involve sex dreams or getting a handjob from Wonwoo.

Finally he blurts out, "The choreography. Just thinking about what we can do for the new song."

 _"Ah, cool,"_ Hansol says in English, nodding and smiling brightly. "You looked pretty deep into it, hyung. We're off tomorrow though, so let's do something chill tonight."

Junhui nods, returning Hansol's sunny smile with a small one of his own.

If it can take his mind off Wonwoo, he's all for it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much for all the kudos and kind comments! They're really exciting and motivating to see. :)


	3. Daring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junhui deals with the repercussions of a dare.

Apparently Seventeen's idea of "chill" involves a truth-or-dare punishment game run by Jeonghan — an unsurprising if terrifying decision — while a few of them play Jenga at the table.

Most of them are sitting around in a circle of couches, while some are lounging on the floor. Junhui's on one couch between Mingyu and Minghao, sitting as far away from Jeonghan as he can for the illusory feeling of self-preservation.

Junhui throws a glance over at the table where a few people are playing with Jenga blocks. Wonwoo, Jihoon, and Jisoo are all there, calmly taking their turns and making conversation in between. Junhui briefly lingers on Wonwoo's focused but serene expression, admiring the charming tilt of his mouth when he smiles and comments in his deep voice.

Despite their current activity, Junhui knows better. All three of them are definitely waiting for the entertainment of seeing the other members make fools of themselves.

Junhui guesses that Jihoon in particular is avoiding the truth-or-dare game because someone will inevitably ask him to do something disgustingly cute for aegyo. Knowing Jihoon, he probably stayed up late last night doing production work, and has no patience to deal with anyone's antics today.

Jeonghan _had_ attempted to get them to join, but Jihoon had merely stared back and said, "I'll be assigning lines of our next comeback song tomorrow. _Do you want to keep yours?"_

And that was that.

Now, the members go through a few turns where challenges remain relatively mild in nature. Seungcheol has to shotgun a whole beer in ten seconds, but fails and has to take three painful flicks to the forehead. Soonyoung has to dance a sexy rendition of "Don't Wanna Cry," which of course he does with an extra helping of seductive body rolls. He even embellishes by running his hands down his chest and inner thighs, prompting peals of laughter and disgusted groans from the group.

As the first to pick Truth, cautious Minghao has to answer which member he would most want to be stranded on a desert island with. Of course he says Mingyu, because everyone says Mingyu; even Junhui says Mingyu.

Minghao stubbornly refuses to look at Mingyu when he answers, even though the larger boy starts reaching behind Junhui to tap Minghao's shoulder, gleefully asking him to elaborate on the reasons why.

Seungcheol passes behind the couch on his way to the kitchen for more snacks, ruffling Junhui's hair fondly; Minghao snickers loudly at the resulting fluffy mop of hair. Junhui rolls his eyes, finger-combing his hair into place again.

As far as Junhui knows, only the hyungs Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Jisoo know about what happened at the club because Wonwoo insisted that he tell them. As a result, they've set up a "buddy system": when you're out, there has to be at least one other member with you. If that isn't possible, then at least one member has to know where you are if you separate from the group. Everyone is assigned responsibility for another person so they know whom to ask.

For reasons that are apparent but go unsaid, Junhui is paired up with Wonwoo.

"JUN-HYUNG." A human octopus falls into Junhui's lap, then clambers into the space behind him to latch surprisingly strong arms around his shoulders, clutching tightly. "SAVE ME." Hansol shrieks, trying to hide from Jeonghan behind Junhui's broader frame.

Apparently while Junhui's mind had been drifting, Hansol had failed at his given task, whatever it was. Now he has to face the punishment, whatever it is. Junhui isn't really sure what punishment could be severe enough for Hansol to be this distressed.

Tugging at Hansol's arms around his neck to loosen his grip a little, Junhui glances up and sees that "Angel" Jeonghan is smiling benignly at them, standing a few feet away.

Seungkwan calls out with some sympathy, "Hansol-ah! You can't run from Jeonghan-hyung. Just take your punishment like a man!" Even Hansol's best friend acknowledges the futility of his situation.

"What's the punishment?" Junhui asks curiously, trying to ignore Hansol's dramatic whimpers and huffs of breath against the nape of his neck.

Junhui fails immediately before anyone can provide an answer, twitching and batting his hands against Hansol's arms as soon as he feels wet lips on his skin. "Ah! Hansol-ah! Stop making out with my neck!"

The others laugh as Hansol ducks his head in embarrassment, whining, "I'm nooooot."

From the Jenga table, he hears Jihoon yell excitedly, "Yah! I thought you were going to topple it that time."

As he disgustedly wipes off the back of his neck with one sleeve, Junhui glances over towards the source of commotion. He sees Wonwoo deliberately placing one of the blocks on top of the very unstable-looking wooden tower, the boy stone-faced in his concentration.

"Okay, lovebirds, since you're so intent on clinging to one another, we're making up a new punishment," Jeonghan announces. "Hansol still owes us one, and Jun is guilty of aiding and abetting his evasion of the rules."

Junhui returns his attention to Jeonghan with wide-eyed confusion on his features. There's a dangerous glint in Jeonghan's eyes that he definitely, _definitely_ does not like.

Swiftly and unexpectedly, Jisoo abandons the Jenga table to trot over to Jeonghan, cupping his hands over his mouth and whispering into the older boy's ear. Jeonghan's smile broadens.

Junhui leans back reflexively, making Hansol let out a surprised yelp as he's mildly crushed against the back of the couch.

"Junnie," Jeonghan sing-songs as Jisoo returns to the table.

"Yes, Jeonghanie-hyung?" Junhui inquires carefully.

"Give hyung your hand," Jeonghan says, with a Cheshire-like smile.

Junhui hesitates before stretching out his hand towards Jeonghan. He's actually more scared of what Jeonghan will do if he _doesn't_ comply with his demand than if he does.

Jeonghan smiles, firmly clasping Junhui's hand in his.

_Clink._

"What the —" Junhui starts, staring at the fuzzy, tiger-striped band that has suddenly appeared on his wrist.

_Clink._

"Hey!" Hansol looks like a confused puppy, the arm that was resting on Junhui's shoulder now sporting the same striped band as well.

Junhui stands up in shock, involuntarily pulling Hansol after him.

They're _cuffed together._

"Where the hell did you get those from?" Minghao asks incredulously.

"Jeonghan-hyung!" Junhui cries. "Why —"

He's interrupted by another pair of clinking noises: _Clink. Clink._

Jeonghan claps his hands together like he's wiping them free of dust after a thorough spring cleaning.

Junhui looks down. There's another pair of fuzzy orange-and-black handcuffs chaining them together by their other wrists. As it stands, now Junhui's right wrist is attached to Hansol's left, and his left wrist is attached to Hansol's right, creating a circle of their arms.

"My dongsaengs are so close already, this shouldn't even really make that much of a difference performance-wise," Jeonghan says with a sage nod. He announces, "Hansol and Junhui have to complete the rest of their dares together during the rest of the game, like this."

The rest of them stare in wordless surprise at Jeonghan. Only Jisoo's poorly-stifled giggles and Woozi's sadistic laughter and clapping provide background noise.

Hansol carefully runs the fingers of his right hand around the cuff on his opposite wrist, probably searching for the unlocking mechanism. He finds it, but tugging and prodding at it does absolutely nothing. Junhui allows his shackled arms to be manipulated like a puppet's in the meantime, still dumbfounded by their current situation.

"Oh, by the way, this is the key." Jeonghan dangles a silver key on a chain, then loops it around his neck. "You can have it before we go to bed."

Junhui and Hansol look at each other in dismay.

Hansol says, "But what if I need to use the bathr—"

Jeonghan shoves him back onto the couch. Junhui yells, "Whoa!" as he goes down with him in a wild tangle of limbs.

Jeonghan smiles, returning his attention to the rest of the members. "Okay, who's next?"

As Junhui and Hansol struggle to right themselves, they hear a low, pitiful whine of pain.

Puzzled, Junhui looks down.

It turns out that the lumpy couch cushion that broke their fall was actually Mingyu. Unexpectedly, he's sprawled where Minghao was sitting seconds before.

Off to the side, Minghao is snickering, but he looks slightly guilty about it. "You shouldn't have tried to push me out of the way, Mingyu-ah. I can dodge, you know."

As Minghao shoves Mingyu upright again to reclaim his seat, Junhui and Hansol scoot over to the other end of the couch, trying to coordinate their movements as best as they can.

"Sorry for dragging you down with me, hyung," Hansol mumbles to Junhui with a contrite frown.

"It's okay, Hansol-ah," Junhui reassures him, tamping down a sigh. He wonders how difficult the next dares will be. He had decided long before that truth was out of the question because Mingyu might ask him about Wonwoo.

Luckily, Junhui enjoys skinship, so he figures it isn't too much of a hardship to be attached to Hansol, whom he is affectionate with anyway.

Nonetheless, both of them agree to refrain from drinking too much liquid.

 

* * *

 

Junhui fidgets.

A lot.

He can't help it. It's just the way he is.

Hansol whines at him to stop but he can't. Junhui is constantly readjusting the position of his body or stretching their arms over their heads. He feels antsy and trapped, and really as the older one he should be more calm and collected about this, but he has never missed the freedom of being able to move wherever he wants as much as now.

While waiting for his turn and watching the other members complete or fail their dares, Junhui finds himself holding hands with Hansol for comfort, since it is easier to remember not to tug too hard in one direction. Hansol is sitting pressed up against his side to ease the strain on their outside arms, which cross over their chests so their hands lie in the middle, as far apart as the cuffs will allow.

But with Junhui's broad shoulders combined with Hansol's, it's just not enough for Junhui to be comfortable. He slides off the couch with a sigh of resignation and sits on the floor facing Hansol, slipping between his legs so that his shoulders touch either knee. He rests and stretches his arms in front of him so that they lie on the couch cushions on either side of Hansol. He feels a thousand times better with the strain on his arms removed.

Satisfied with his new position and thankful for the relief it provides, Junhui rests his forehead on one of Hansol's thighs.

At least for a few blessed moments.

"Jun, what are you doing?" Soonyoung giggles.

"Resting," Junhui says, refusing to budge an inch. "My arms hurt." There aren't any cameras around, so Junhui feels it's his right to be as petulant and uncool as he wants right now. He didn't ask for this.

"You're comfortable, Hansol?" Seungcheol asks after a pause.

Not even glancing down, Hansol shrugs indifferently and says, "Yeah, it's cool," before turning to listen to Seungkwan, who's currently regaling him with the latest adventure he had as an MC on some television show.

Jeonghan suddenly calls, "Wonwoo-yah!"

Junhui lifts his head in interest, momentarily forgetting his handcuffed woes. He can hear the smirk in Jeonghan's voice as he asks, "Are you sure you don't want to join us? You seem pretty intrigued." Personally, Junhui doesn't see any difference in Wonwoo's flat expression.

Jisoo chimes in with his soft voice, "Yes, you keep on looking over there. You're ruining our game. It's been your turn for the past forty-five seconds, by the way."

Though Jisoo is addressing Wonwoo, he is smiling at Junhui, cat-like. It disturbingly reminds Junhui of the way Jeonghan was looking at him earlier, just before the older boy cuffed him to Hansol.

Jeonghan says, "Are you jealous of..." He trails off, his eyes sliding over to Junhui where he rests between Hansol's legs. Junhui squints at both hyungs suspiciously. He's not a zoo exhibit.

Jeonghan finally finishes, "...The fun we're having?"

Junhui looks over, curious about Wonwoo's reply. He thinks Wonwoo doesn't seem very amused by their game at all.

Unlike the hyungs, Wonwoo doesn't look at Junhui, instead staring at the precariously-stacked pile of blocks before him. His lips seem a little more thinly pressed together, but that's about it. Junhui shrugs and rests his forehead on Hansol's thigh again, comfortably sandwiched between the younger boy's knees.

"No," Wonwoo says.

Junhui hears the soft, dull sound of another block being placed.

After a moment, Jeonghan says, "Next!"

Junhui waits for his turn.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some notes:
> 
> 1\. Junhui/Hansol was too fun not to play with, but no worries, they are just good friends in this story. Maybe in another story universe...? I figure Jun must be my bias because I can ship him with the most Seventeen members.
> 
> 2\. Jisoo is also an angel-faced mischief demon like Jeonghan and that is why they are friends.
> 
> 3\. Hansol is a cinnamon roll that must be protected at all costs.
> 
> 4\. Mingyu took care of Minghao during his hangover too.
> 
> I can't say thank you enough for the wonderful feedback. You're all awesome. :)


	4. Heavy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junhui takes his turn.

Despite that strange interlude, the game continues on and Jeonghan dares Mingyu to howl out the window to the tune of "Mansae." Mingyu ends up setting off at least a dozen of the neighborhood's dogs, and their discordant symphony of answering howls can be heard long after he shuts the window.

As a grinning Mingyu stumbles over various members' limbs — Junhui's poor legs included — to reclaim his seat on the couch, Minghao jerks his chin towards the window and smirks. "Why don't you run outside and join your cousins? They're calling for you."

Mingyu sits on Minghao instead, provoking a colorful slew of breathless curses in Mandarin and Korean. Mingyu gleefully responds, "Woof woof, I can't understand you."

He yelps as Minghao smashes a bony elbow into his ribs.

While the two boys wrestle, Jeonghan pours a whole tray of ice cubes down the back of Seungcheol's shirt. This time, Junhui isn't even sure if Jeonghan even dared him, or if he's just skipping directly to the punishment. After all, Seungcheol did borrow Jeonghan's favorite hat yesterday without asking, and then left said favorite hat at the studio.

It was a nice hat, Junhui thinks, as Seungcheol shivers miserably.

 

* * *

 

Eventually, it's Junhui's turn, and he can't help but laugh aloud.

"Push-ups? Seriously? This will be so easy for God-Jun," he brags, flexing his lithe dancer's arms with pride. He knows his muscles can't really be seen under the long, loose sleeves he's wearing, but Junhui's pretty sure everyone knows what his beautifully-toned biceps look like anyway.

Avid to start, Junhui shoots to his feet —

But is forced to abruptly cut his movement short due to the unexpected resistance at his wrists.

Oh right, the handcuffs.

"Uh, Hansol-ah." Hansol turns and blinks at him. "Could you get up, please?" Junhui asks, still awkwardly hunched over.

Obediently, Hansol stands as well. Junhui mentally struggles for a few moments trying to figure out how exactly this will work.

He wrinkles his nose in confusion at their cuffed wrists. "How..." he trails off. Junhui kneels on the ground, gently pulling down Hansol to kneel beside him.

"What if..." Junhui places both hands flat on the floor. If Hansol lies down on either side of him, it will tug the handcuff attached to the opposite side too much, and throw off Junhui's center of gravity.

Junhui explains this to the rest of the group, demonstrating the problem as well. Ever team players, a couple of the others graciously take it upon themselves to figure out the mechanics of the situation.

Tilting his head contemplatively and peering at the restraints, Minghao suggests after a couple of seconds, "Maybe he can lie under you on his back."

Junhui hears Seungcheol choking on his drink but Mingyu quickly agrees, saying in an earnest voice, "Right, that way your hands are close to each other so neither of you are getting your wrists pulled!" Hansol is nodding slowly like he agrees with the rationale behind the idea.

On the other hand, Junhui's not so sure because Seokmin, Chan, and Soonyoung are giggling very loudly and incessantly in the background. Chan calls out, "I agree!"

Junhui narrows his eyes suspiciously at the maknae, who beams back at him with an innocently expectant look that Junhui isn't buying. Because Junhui uses that method too, to try and get the others to agree with him or laugh at his jokes. He knows how it works.

Junhui thinks there has to be a better way. Doing push-ups directly over his friend seems a little awkward, to say the least. Sort of suggestive. Even Seungkwan says disbelievingly, "Really? Don't you think —"

Jeonghan interrupts in a lightly warning tone, "Figure it out, children! Jun, you have two minutes to do one hundred push-ups. Or else you have to strip down and stand on the roof. Starting... now." He lifts his phone to display the ticking stopwatch on the screen. The milliseconds are trickling away before Junhui's eyes.

Oh well, it's not like he's a stranger to skinship anyway.

With a shrug, Junhui firmly pushes at Hansol's shoulder so that the other boy is lying down, then clumsily rolls over on top, trying not to crush Hansol too much in the process. It takes a precious few seconds, but once he's in position, Junhui plants both hands on the floor on either side of Hansol's neck, bends his arms at the elbows, and easily performs the first push-up.

"One!" Mingyu helpfully counts for him.

His face gets awfully near Hansol's, Junhui notices, so he tilts his neck to the side so that he isn't directly above him, to avoid accidentally bumping noses or something.

Off to the side, Seungcheol says, "Jeonghan, I don't think stripping in public is a good idea. For any of us."

Junhui appreciates that Hansol isn't being awkward about the situation itself, even when their chests are brushing closely together. In fact, Hansol seems really relaxed, like he's just lying down on the floor to rest as usual after practice. His head is turned toward Seungkwan as they continue their conversation in English, speckled with a few Korean phrases when Seungkwan doesn't know a certain word. Even if Junhui can't understand the words, listening actually helps distract him from the growing strain in his muscles, turning it into an almost meditative exercise.

Jeonghan says imperiously, "As the judge, jury, and executioner of this game, my word is Law. The Law has passed through these lips and my Will shall be done." He pauses thoughtfully. "Or else."

"Or else what?" Seungcheol says, unimpressed.

Jeonghan says with an easy smile, "Well, let's just say Jisoo and I know where everyone sleeps."

Jihoon deadpans from the gaming table, "Everyone knows where everyone sleeps. This is not a new development."

Jisoo comments lightly, "But we have access to permanent markers, glue, glitter, and feathers."

"Guys..." Seungcheol says, exasperated. Then: "Feathers?"

Before Seungcheol can start really interrogating them, Jeonghan exhales a long-suffering sigh and says, "Fine. I was kidding anyway." His tone is nonchalant, but Junhui wouldn't be surprised if he really had planned on the punishment being carried out. "I'll just commandeer Hansol's headphones for tonight and tomorrow."

"Wait, what?" Hansol says.

Seungkwan asks dubiously, "How is that a punishment for Jun-hyung though? He's the one doing the push-ups."

In a bored tone that doesn't match the wicked glint in his eyes, Jeonghan responds, "One minute left." Resting his cheek in the palm of his hand, he says, "I want to binge-watch my drama without Jihoon complaining about the noise."

There's a pregnant pause in conversation.

Jihoon says, entirely serious, "Jun, throw in the towel. I want to sleep at least four hours tonight."

Hansol adorably juts his bottom lip out at Junhui from beneath him, and Junhui's shaking arms nearly give out as he tries to rein in his laughter. "Jun-hyung, don't let him take my headphones!" he pleads.

"I won't, Hansol-ah," he pants out, eking out another couple of push-ups at the same quick but steady pace.

He's not quick enough to satisfy Hansol, however.

"Jun-hyung, faster!" Hansol whines loudly and plaintively, reminiscent of a puppy. "Faster, faster, please, go faster?"

"I'm not... an amusement park ride," Junhui bites out between push-ups, sweat beaded on his forehead. Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Chan are laughing uproariously. Seungcheol is choking rather violently on his drink again, making sounds like he's dying. Junhui pauses momentarily to look up at the older boy, concerned. A cackling Jeonghan is already thumping his back as Seungcheol hacks out a series of gross, wet coughs.

Junhui returns his attention to the task at hand, but breaking his rhythm was evidently a mistake. As he starts to bend his elbows again with trembling arms, Junhui's strength abruptly fizzles out, and he collapses with a startled cry on top of Hansol, who yelps a little on impact.

Mingyu calls out encouragingly, "Come on, Jun-hyung, just ten more!" as Minghao says, "Don't be a weak loser!"

"Like you could do this, Minghao!" Junhui shoots back.

"Jun-hyung, come on, come on," Hansol wheezes breathlessly as he squirms around. "Also you're really heavy. Ughhh."

Junhui pants with annoyance as he struggles to support himself with his arms again, half-glaring at Hansol. "Fine, I'll just be the one to lie down next time and you can do all the work." He hurries to do the rest of the push-ups as quickly as he can, Mingyu helpfully counting for him. His arms are burning and he feels perspiration dripping down his face.

"Ninety-eight... Ninety-nine... One hundred!"

Junhui releases a wrecked, drawn-out groan and collapses on his side, this time careful not to do it right on top of Hansol. He's unbelievably relieved — he's successfully rescued his dongsaeng's beloved headphones, and avoided embarrassing himself in the process.

He suddenly hears several wooden blocks crashing violently onto the table, followed by Jihoon's and Jisoo's victorious cheering. "Jenga!" Jisoo yells. Wonwoo stands and stalks over to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Jeonghan's timer goes off a couple of seconds later. He pouts a little as he shuts off the alarm. Junhui thinks he hears the older boy mutter, "Seungcheol, buy me headphones."

Over his own heavy panting, it's like listening through cotton when Jihoon scoffs, "That was barely even a game. It was more like, 'Who can say the dirtiest thing to make Wonwoo lose his cool and fuck up the tower.'"

Junhui would inquire further because _exactly what kind of conversation were they having over there,_ but any budding curiosity is instantly forgotten when Jihoon yawns widely, resembling a little lion cub. Jihoon is so cute, Junhui thinks dazedly, but he's too worn out to try and crawl over to pinch the other boy's cheeks.

Jisoo says, "Then does that mean Jun won?"

At the sound of his name, Junhui intelligently says, "Hm?"

Hansol replies happily, "Of course he won! Jun-hyung is super strong. Thanks, Jun-hyung!" He awkwardly tries to hug Junhui but ends up just resting his arm over him, his gesture of affection impeded by the handcuffs. Junhui just grunts a little in response.

Jisoo says something under his breath but Junhui can only make out a few words: "That's not... meant..."

At the same time, Jeonghan says, "Oh, sweet summer child."

A hand clapped over his face, Seungcheol says, "Okay, everyone, let's go to bed. It's late. Junnie looks like he's about to pass out, and Jihoon needs to sleep." Amid choruses of reluctant groans, the boys collectively stand up or roll off the couches to head to bed. Seungcheol tosses a few plastic cups in the trash before wrapping a supportive arm around Jihoon, who seems to be listing to the side a little as he sleepily walks to the bedroom.

Junhui struggles a little to rise and lean on his elbow, though his arms feel about as stable as jelly. Glancing at the clock, he sees that it's nearly 2am. He barely felt the time fly by. At least he'll sleep like a rock tonight, he thinks, wincing at the strain in his arm.

"Key, please, Jeonghan-hyung," Seungkwan says. Junhui looks up to see Jeonghan drop the key in Seungkwan's hand. Oh right. Junhui almost forgot about the cuffs again.

Junhui watches blankly as Seungkwan unlocks and removes the handcuffs gently, one by one. When he finishes, Seungkwan leaves the cuffs on the table and pulls Hansol to his feet. "Thanks again, hyung," they call back to Junhui as they head off to bed.

Junhui waves a lazy good night at them, then rolls over to lie on his back and sighs, eyes closing. He can spare a few moments to catch his breath and recover.

"Going to sleep on the floor?" a deep, familiar voice asks.

His lips parted as he pants softly, Junhui opens his eyes and sees Wonwoo standing over him. A quick glance around tells him that everyone else is gone. He shakes his head, his cheeks flushed from the exercise still, his bangs glued to his forehead with sweat.

Wonwoo frowns, staring at him. He sighs, a little puff of breath, then holds out his hands. Junhui takes them after a moment and Wonwoo pulls him to his feet. "Dumb dare," Wonwoo says with a flat expression.

Junhui shrugs, weakly massaging one upper arm with the opposite hand. "It wasn't that bad," he says. "Better than howling out the window." After a moment, he adds brightly, "At least I finished it! Even if I was cuffed to Hansol-ah." He pumps both fists in the air in celebration, grinning widely.

He doesn't expect it when Wonwoo reaches out and catches Junhui's wrist in his hand, holding it still to look at it. There is a small frown on his face, and a concentrated furrow in his brow that Junhui can't help but find helplessly endearing.

Junhui is staring again, but at least Wonwoo isn't paying attention. Instead, he's inspecting a faint band of red around Junhui's wrist, where the edge of the cuff would dig in sometimes. The discomfort had been barely noticeable at the time, but now the area feels overly sensitive, almost painful. Wonwoo runs the rough pad of his thumb along the indentation in Junhui's skin, over and over, as though he could smooth it away.

Junhui's heart stutters, leaps. He holds his breath. It's somehow more intimate than a hug, the way that Wonwoo is touching him so tenderly, as though he could erase any trace of Junhui's hurt, no matter how insignificant.

"Next time, just play with us," Wonwoo says quietly as he lets go. Junhui hates it a little, how he feels the cooler temperature of the room more sharply when Wonwoo stops touching him.

Junhui inhales shakily and tries to shove those thoughts out of his mind. He says with a forced smile, "Or you could just join us! It was pretty fun." He jokes, "Maybe next time you'll have the pleasure of being chained to me instead." Junhui winks flirtatiously.

Wonwoo just stares at him.

The silence abruptly feels heavy. Junhui swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down nervously. Was that too forward? Too obvious? Did too much of his non-platonic affection bleed through in those words? He feels his face heating up, and that has to be a dead giveaway in itself. He chokes out, "I... I mean..."

With his stumbling, uncertain words, something changes in Wonwoo's gaze, like a switch has been flipped. Something darker, and a little frightening. _But frightening isn't the word, is it?_ Jun thinks distantly.

But there's no time to think of the right word, because Wonwoo suddenly picks up the handcuffs from the table, letting them hang from his loosely curled fingers.

"Would that have been better than being with Hansol?" Wonwoo says the words in a casual tone, but there is an undercurrent to them that Junhui can't quite place. Junhui has to take a moment to remember what they were talking about. Better than Hansol? Why would he ask that? Unless...

Heart rate speeding up, Junhui begs any deity that will listen that Wonwoo hasn't figured out his crush on him yet. But that possibility seems to be rapidly shrinking away with every passing second.

With a small, forced laugh that is a little too high-pitched for his own comfort, Junhui evades, "I like you both! It doesn't matter to me. Really." He takes a step backward, then another, anything to get away from those dark, probing eyes that are seeing too much. Wonwoo advances on him slowly, and Junhui, helplessly trapped by the intensity of Wonwoo's gaze, soon finds his back pressed up against the wall, his eyes wide and his breath coming short like a cornered animal about to be consumed.

There's nowhere else to go. Wonwoo brackets Junhui's head in between his forearms, resting them against the wall. Junhui can feel Wonwoo's body heat crossing the ever-shrinking space between them. "You're both my friends," Junhui tries again, doing his best to ignore the hot, swooping sensation in the bottom of his stomach. Wonwoo is so close.

In a low, rough voice, Wonwoo asks, "Just friends?"

And if that doesn't sound like a final judgment, Junhui doesn't know what does. Wonwoo _knows._ But Junhui still feels the irrepressible need to deny it.

He definitely does _not_ whimper as he nods in assent, his forehead briefly touching Wonwoo's.

Junhui can barely look at Wonwoo. He's already blushing so hard from the close proximity, and his heart is pounding from anxiety. He can barely breathe. Junhui feels the flutter of the other boy's warm breath against his lips. He's caught, he's caught, he's caught.

"I don't believe you," Wonwoo says softly. Junhui hears a clattering noise as the handcuffs are carelessly dropped on the floor, and suddenly Wonwoo's hands are encircling Junhui's wrists in a warm grip. Wonwoo raises both his arms until Junhui's wrists are firmly pinned above his head.

Junhui feels trapped, but in a dark corner of his mind, he also feels like he's _owned._ This time he can't help but whine, keening high in the back of his throat.

He makes a half-hearted attempt to pull his wrists out from Wonwoo's grip, but Wonwoo simply shifts his leg forward between Junhui's thighs, using his body weight to pin Junhui harder against the wall.

Junhui accidentally releases a shocked, choked-off moan as Wonwoo grinds his hip into Junhui's hard cock. Junhui is hard. Somehow he didn't realize until now. Otherwise he would have struggled harder. Fuck fuck _fuck._ He's turned on and Wonwoo can feel it now.

Wonwoo had frozen in place as soon as his hip encountered Junhui's erection.

_He knows, he knows, he knows._

Something shrinks and crumples up inside of Junhui. He looks away to the side, unable to meet Wonwoo's eyes, unwilling to see the horrible anger and disgust that must be in them. Wonwoo must hate him. Junhui tries to blink back the tears that are blurring his vision. He's ruined everything, all because he couldn't hide his stupid, pointless crush. He feels a few hot tears spill over and run down his cheeks.

How fucked up is he, to be turned on in this kind of situation?

Wonwoo abruptly lets go of his wrists, letting them fall back to his sides. He takes a step back, and Junhui can breathe again.

Junhui slips past Wonwoo and practically runs to their shared room, diving under the covers. The others are already sleeping with their light snoring. After what seems like forever, Junhui hears the door open again, and footsteps padding towards the bed. It must be Wonwoo. He hears a rustling of the sheets, then footsteps walking away again. The door opens and closes. Junhui stays buried under the covers, and tries to sleep, flipping the pillow once his tears soak one side, and doesn't even realize when he drifts off.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The working concept for this chapter was: "Wonwoo gets fucking decimated in Jenga because he's so jealous, his hands shake."
> 
> Thank you for the wonderful comments and kudos, and thank you for joining me on this WonHui adventure so far. :) And thank you for your patience with updates! "Slow burn," indeed.
> 
> _Behind the scenes:_
> 
> Minghao: I'm still confused about Jeonghan-hyung owning two sets of handcuffs. Not even one. Two.  
> Mingyu: And why did Jisoo-hyung suggest them?  
> Seventeen: ...  
> Minghao and Mingyu: Guess we'll never know. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Time to go take pics for each other's Instagrams!


	5. New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junhui needs some time to think.

Sluggish, Junhui wakes up with puffy eyes, swollen and still red. There's a general feeling of misery weighing down on him, but it takes a few moments to shed the gauzy layer of drowsiness and remember why. He drags the back of his hand across his eyes to rub away the rest of the dried tear tracks, and notices that there is warm light streaming fluidly through the window blinds. It's clearly far past dawn, probably already noon.

He looks around. The rest of the beds are empty, sheets rumpled and unmade. He hears some activity going on outside the room in the communal area — talking, chairs shifting, the scrape of spoons or chopsticks against bowls. He's surprised no one woke him up for breakfast, though he also wonders if they heard him crying. Junhui sighs and buries his face in the pillow.

He fucked up last night, no question about it. Now, it's a new day and he has to face the consequences of his awful, stupid, _gigantic_ mistake, which he can't take back no matter how much he wishes he could.

He wants to stay in bed forever. Is that an option? He knows it's not really, but —

Damn it. He smells bacon.

Mingyu, the beautiful, wonderful, angelic... _No!_ Junhui shakes his head fiercely. That _horrible_ boy is making breakfast, or "brunch" as he'd probably insist. Mingyu is the worst dongsaeng _ever_ because Junhui's stomach is grumbling up a storm and it's only now that he realizes he's practically starving. Why does Mingyu have to be so thoughtful all the time? Junhui groans, his resistance crumbling into tiny pieces.

Junhui gracelessly rolls out of bed, the smell of breakfast far too enticing to leave alone. He slips into the bathroom and washes his face with cool water to hopefully get rid of some of the unattractive puffiness. It works a little, but not enough. He brushes his bangs down flat to cover his eyes partially in case. If he's lucky, the others will just think he's exhausted.

Some of the other members are in the living room as he passes, gaming or texting on their phones. When he gets to the kitchen table, a few of the boys are still eating. To his dismay, Wonwoo is also there, picking at some eggs. He's rubbing the back of his neck and grimacing slightly.

If Junhui weren't staring so obviously, he would have missed the way Wonwoo flicked his glance over, very briefly. Suppressing a wince, Junhui averts his eyes and quietly takes a plate. He piles some food on it and sits at the other end of the table, trying not to look too obvious.

"You look like a wreck, Wonwoo, what happened?" Seungcheol garbles out, mouth half-filled with half-chewed food.

Junhui tenses up, chopsticks freezing halfway to his mouth as he stares down at his plate. The others might not have noticed Junhui's own appearance yet, but Junhui didn't quite register that Wonwoo might be physically affected too.

"Slept on the couch." Surprised, Junhui looks up and sees Wonwoo shrug at Seungcheol nonchalantly.

Seungcheol swallows, asking in a less muffled voice, "Why? Was Soonyoung snoring too loud again?"

"Yes," says Wonwoo.

"Hey!" An indignant Soonyoung tries to throw a piece of scrambled egg at Wonwoo.

He receives a sharp smack on his hand with the end of Mingyu's wooden spoon instead. "Ow, ow, _ow._ "

Mingyu sternly points the cooking utensil at Soonyoung's face, saying, " _No._ No food fights at my brunch table, hyung."

Soonyoung pouts and rubs the back of his hand. "Not brunch if there aren't any mimosas," he whines. Mingyu sticks out his tongue at him, returning to putting away the clean dishes.

Junhui's bite of food finally completes its journey to his mouth, and he lowers his head again, distractedly crushing a grain of rice with the end of his chopstick as he chews.

He just... feels absolutely miserable with himself. Wonwoo's neck hurts because of him.

Because Wonwoo was so completely disgusted by Junhui's attraction that he didn't even want to sleep in the same room as him.

Junhui swallows hard on his own self-loathing, a tight, wound-up ball in his throat. His eyes sting with hot tears, but he doesn't let them fall. Instead, he chokes down the rest of his food and quietly places his dishes into the dishwasher, refusing to look up until he gets back to his room.

He hears behind him Soonyoung's soft, "What's wrong with Junnie?"

Junhui closes the door before he can overhear the answer.

He doesn't allow himself to think, just grabs his sweats and a t-shirt and stuffs them into a worn black duffel bag. He pauses a second, then takes a towel and the old striped headband Soonyoung lent him a while back. Rushing to the front door so that he doesn't run the risk of being questioned, Junhui grabs a face mask and steps into his sneakers without bothering to tie the laces, then he slips out of the dorm without a single word.

 

* * *

 

When he finally reaches the dance studio a couple of blocks away, he shoots off a quick message to the Seventeen group chat saying where he is. He feels slightly guilty slinking off without telling anyone and he doesn't want the hyungs to worry. But he just needs some time alone in an empty practice room with loud music to drown out the guilt and clear his head.

He shuts the door with a last glance out through the narrow window into the empty hallway. He's grateful there aren't many people practicing today — fewer people to run into. He just doesn't have the emotional energy to pretend he's okay right now.

Junhui switches on the room's speaker and connects the music app on his phone, starting up a playlist of both Korean and American songs with powerful beats and high-energy dance routines. Feeling the bass throb through the floor and his body, he begins, his eyes carefully tracking his own movements in the mirror, forcing each part to become cleaner and more fluid. It's like meditation, honing his body and muscles to come completely under his control, step by step, like piecing together individual wushu techniques into full-fledged routines.

There's no room for thinking about Wonwoo.

There's no room for thinking about how Junhui's probably ruined everything.

There's no room for anything else.

 

* * *

 

He doesn't know how many hours pass before he finally slumps against the wall, his towel, headband, and shirt all soaked through with sweat. God, he definitely needs a shower.

Junhui shuts his eyes, pushing his bangs up and off his forehead with his fingers. His mind is a little clearer now, and he thinks... He hopes that maybe somehow he can figure out how to tell Wonwoo that he won't ever bother him again if he makes him so uncomfortable, that he cares too much about Seventeen to endanger their careers like that. Maybe he can switch rooms with Jihoon, who would probably prefer a bed away from Jeonghan's loud movies.

Junhui just wants to stay. He still wants to stay. They're a family now. It breaks his heart that things will never be the same again between Wonwoo and him, but he can deal. He and Wonwoo both have great acting skills; they can keep up appearances on camera.

They can deal with this, he thinks resolutely.

Burning with more than just muscle aches, Junhui is already fully committed to the idea. It all just comes down to what Wonwoo thinks. And Wonwoo... Junhui's hope falters briefly before flickering brightly again.

Wonwoo is kind. They can figure this out. They have to.

There's a knock on the studio room door.

Junhui hears the door open and lifts his head up to look.

 

It's Wonwoo.

 

Junhui forgets how to breathe for a few seconds — he's not sure whom he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't _Wonwoo._ What is he doing here? He knew Junhui was here. Junhui sent that group text. Shouldn't he be trying to avoid Junhui right now?

Before Junhui can work himself up into a panic, Wonwoo lifts a hand in greeting. "Hey, Jun."

"Hi," Junhui answers automatically, his voice a little weak. He draws his knees up against his chest.

Wonwoo shifts a few steps sideways and leans against the wall, leaving a decent amount of space between him and the door. Alternating his wide-eyed stare between the empty doorway and Wonwoo, Junhui notices that, intentionally or not, the other boy has left him a clear path to flee.

Wonwoo is tightening his jaw repeatedly, like he's trying to work up the willpower to say whatever's next.

Junhui waits nervously, his mind and body frozen. He doesn't know what to do. Should... should he get up and make some sort of excuse, or —

Wonwoo breaks the tense silence. "I wanted to talk to you about last night."

Okay, so they're having this talk _right now_ apparently. That's perfectly okay.

His voice cracking slightly, Junhui blurts out, "I should have slept on the couch instead, I'm sorry!"

Wonwoo blinks. "What?"

"S-sorry," Junhui says, biting his bottom lip and wrapping his arms around his knees, pulling them up against his chest even more tightly to make himself smaller, less threatening. "I should've slept on the couch instead. It's my fault you're feeling so awful this morning, and... I didn't mean —"

Wonwoo holds up placating hands, interrupting him. "Wait, Jun-ah, no. Don't apologize. What are you saying? Last night was my fault. I..." His voice breaks off before abruptly starting again, strained and unhappy. "I shouldn't have cornered you. It's my fault. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Junhui stares. _What?_

Wonwoo goes on to explain, "I'm sorry. I was jealous, and selfish, and I let my jealousy get away from me. I tried to... to take advantage of you." He takes a deep breath and rubs a hand over his face, grimacing.

Junhui is so lost, trying his best to understand what Wonwoo is saying. But all he can hear is, _"I was jealous."_

Before Junhui can say anything, Wonwoo says lowly, "I'm just as bad as that guy at the club. I crossed your boundaries and didn't even ask. I'm so sorry, Jun. I'm sorry, and I understand if you can't forgive me." Wonwoo clenches his jaw and turns slightly as if to go.

"N-no!" Panicked that Wonwoo might actually leave, Junhui shoots to his feet and races over to grab the other boy's wrist. Wonwoo turns to look at him, surprised, and Junhui doesn't know what to do, he wasn't ready for this. He looks down to where he's gripping Wonwoo's wrist in both hands, the other boy's pulse soft but steady beneath his fingers. Junhui's lips are parted but no words pass through. Where are the words that he needs when he needs them?  _Please don't leave. I don't want you to go. I don't know what to say. I love you. It's not your fault I love you._  

When Wonwoo says his name softly like a question, Junhui forces his gaze up to look at Wonwoo, and takes a deep breath. Letting go of his tangled thoughts, he stammers in response, "You stopped."

Wonwoo furrows his brow in confusion, so Junhui rushes to explain, "You're nothing like him. You stopped. You weren't taking advantage. You really weren't."

Wonwoo still wears a small frown, but the stressed, tight look in his face has relaxed slightly.

Junhui continues, unable to stop the words that have been coiled up so tightly inside of him for so long, pressing against his ribcage like they'll burst free. "And you're different because... I like you. I get jealous too."

Wonwoo looks stunned, his sharp gaze slightly unfocused and dazed as his eyes rove over Junhui's face.

Junhui feels himself dangling off a precipice. He lets go and hopes Wonwoo will catch him.

"I like you, Wonwoo," Junhui breathes. "I can't help it, I'm sorry. I really, really like you."

Wonwoo pulls Junhui's hands off his wrist gently, slips his arms around Junhui's back and pulls him closer, making Junhui emit a breathless little gasp. Junhui is suddenly and uncomfortably hyper-aware of how drenched he is in his own sweat and how gross he is right now. Despite how much he wants to sink and stay in Wonwoo's arms right now, he struggles a little against the other boy's grip, which immediately loosens.

"Oh, no, I-I'm really sweaty right now," Junhui stutters out in response to Wonwoo's look of immediate concern.

Wonwoo's lips quirk up in a small grin, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"I don't care." Wonwoo tugs Junhui close again, his wiry arms strong and insistent this time, always protective. Junhui's lanky body crashes into Wonwoo's, so close. Their knees knock against each other. Junhui is clutching onto Wonwoo's shirt with trembling hands. So much heat. Junhui can feel the pressure of Wonwoo's fingers pressing against him through his shirt, hyper-sensitive to every touch.

"Is this okay," Wonwoo whispers, his breath puffing against Junhui's lips, hot and close. So close.

"Y-yes," Junhui whispers back, trying not to hyperventilate and embarrass himself. Junhui's heart is fluttering like crazy.

Wonwoo kisses him. His lips are soft, soft, so soft. And Wonwoo is so warm. The kiss is brief but firm, a simple pressure that sends Junhui's lips tingling from the contact. It's over almost before it starts. Junhui feels dazed, confused. He makes a small sound in the back of his throat, maybe, then Wonwoo is clutching him tighter now, kissing him again, and again, and again. Their lips slide against each other with delicious slickness and heat, and Wonwoo's tongue — it flicks gently against the center of Junhui's bottom lip, and Junhui gasps because it's just so _new_ — and then Wonwoo's tongue is inside his mouth, searching, tangling with his, so wet and hot and so much heat. Junhui whines loudly, his fingers tangled in Wonwoo's shirt. Wonwoo nips at Junhui's lip and soothes the same spot with a couple of kisses.

Junhui's breaths are too shallow, too quick, and he feels like he might faint. Can't remember how to breathe properly in between kisses when Wonwoo is drawing out the air from his lungs so addictively.

"You okay?" Wonwoo husks in his low voice, teasing Junhui. "Don't pass out." Junhui shakes his head to say no, but also to try and regain his lost, mixed-up bearings.

But then Wonwoo kisses him again and Junhui's knees buckle under him because it is so much, so much. Neither of them must have expected it because with a startled sound they both go down, crumpling gracelessly to the floor. It breaks the momentum of their passion but Junhui almost doesn't mind, because they're both laughing, both breathless. Wonwoo is awkwardly sprawled on top of Junhui, his hand cradling the back of Junhui's head to protect it from hitting the hard floor.

Junhui can't stop staring. Wonwoo is even more beautiful now, with pupils blown wide, lips swollen from kissing, but Junhui is sure his are worse because Wonwoo was the one biting. With a faint smile, Wonwoo plants a last, gentle kiss on his lips and pulls Junhui up into a sitting position, one arm wrapped gently around his waist to keep him steady. In return, as his breathing slows and evens out, Junhui rests his head on Wonwoo's shoulder.

The studio room is quiet but for their breathing.

In, out.

Together.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updated. ;-; Thank you for being patient and sticking with me!
> 
> And thank you so much for all the comments and kudos - they really kicked my butt into gear to finally finish this chapter. <3 ;-;
> 
> Also, god it's hard to come up with chapter titles.


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